UPDATE: Paramount has confirmed to MTV that the projected release date for the "Star Trek" sequel is indeed June 29, 2012.

This counts as news, but there's not much to it. We all know there's a "Star Trek" sequel coming. Hell, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, writers/producers of the May reboot, were talking about sequel possibilities as far back as the week after the first movie came out. Now we have a date to pin our hopes to: June 29, 2012.

Nothing else is known or announced, so don't ask. Maybe director J.J. Abrams will return to helm the sequel, maybe he won't. Maybe Khan will be the villain, maybe not. For all we know, the plan is to give us an epic "Star Trek Meets Star Wars" crossover. Could happen, right?

The news comes from a variety of sources, including Ain't It Cool News and Box Office Mojo, but there's no Paramount-issued press release that I can find. The information ran through some trustworthy sources, but we've yet to receive comment from the studio directly.

Regardless, there really hasn't ever been any doubt that we'd be seeing more "Star Trek." Abrams' take on the series made it friendly to an entirely new, much wider audience than its ever known before.

Were you anything less than certain that a "Star Trek" sequel was coming eventually? Where would you like the story to go from where it is now? Any specific hopes for the sequel?

It was a heartbreaking story with a positive twist that we could all feel good about. Dan Craft, a major Star Trek fan and an organizer of the New York Asian Film Festival, was dying of cancer. He knew he wouldn't live long enough to see the upcoming Star Trek Into Darkness, so his wife and friends took to the Internet with a special request: help them get in touch with J.J. Abrams and ask for some kind of early look at the movie.

Not only did Abrams comply, but he showed Craft and his wife an unfinished cut of the entire film. Just days later, Craft passed away. The New York Asian Film Festival announced his passing on their Facebook page, with this sad but poignant message:

Last night around 10:15pm, Dan Craft, who has been a member of Subway Cinema since 2004, passed away. His wife and brother were with him when he went, and he wasn't in any pain. He'd been a bit loopy for a few days as his liver failed and toxins built up in his blood, and on Thursday his wife asked him if he needed to go to the bathroom. "I'm going..." he proclaimed, "Into the future."

See you there, Dan.

Dan Craft: 1971 - 2013

We miss you.

Craft became somewhat famous online with a story that had a set ending: he knew and we knew that his time was limited, and the happy ending wasn't that he would be miraculously cured, but that he would get to see one last thing he loved before he passed. Craft's wish came true, and yet, it's hard not to be sad that the world has lost as passionate and determined a cinephile as he was. Congratulations to Craft's family and friends for making his Star Trek viewing possible, and condolences to all who knew him on their loss.

Yeah the initial request for this started on Reddit. Apparently his wife and friend that made the request had gotten him out to see the Hobbit which was supposed to have the extended trailer, but it turned out not to. The friend put the request out on reddit for some way for him to see the trailer or movie. Abrams called Dan's wife the next day. Awesome story.